Simple Cure for a Heavy Heart
by TutorGirlml
Summary: Though she may not be ready to share what is troubling her, Killian is the one to care for Emma Swan's heart. When a chance to ease her soul and lighten her load a bit presents itself, Killian takes it with his typical charm and aplomb... (a 6x01 post-ep of fluff)


_(Yeah, there's really not much excuse for this; I just wanted some fluff. Seeing the way Emma greeted Pongo when he and Archie found her in the woods made me think, wouldn't it be cool if Killian, Emma, and Henry got a puppy for a pet at their new place? Plus, I was wanting Emma to tell Killian what troubled her, so that's thrown in too. Killian isn't fooled for a minute by her swearing she's fine, but he has proved he knows when to push and when to exercise patience when it comes to his Love…)_

 _(6x01 post-ep; I don't own them, of course)_

" _ **Simple Cure for a Heavy Heart"**_

He knows better; knows that his Swan is not telling him all, with every fiber of his being. At this point, they've come too far, and he knows her too well – his charming little "open book" – for her to be able to fool him. And, though it does pain him to think that she still feels the need to hide herself in this way, to bear the burden alone when her partner, her True Love, stands right beside her, aching to share the load, he can see himself well enough to understand the impulse as well.

After all, in some smaller, quieter part of his own battered soul, Killian admits to remembering that philosophy all too well: conceal it, keep pushing forward, pretend all is well, and you will make it through. He did the same thing himself through one crushing heartbreak after another since he was an eight-year-old waking alone in the dark to find his papa gone. Not only did a survivor sometimes have to fake strength in order to carry on, but it became a face he put on to show those who loved and depended on him that their faith was not misplaced.

So much has happened to them, both together and apart, and in that course of events Emma had suffered the Dark One whispering venomous lies in her head, had struggled alone with what to do when that insidious power gained a foothold, and had suffered watching him die and the painful resulting separation three times now. The cold clench of dread in his gut warns him that whatever is troubling his brilliant lass now terrifies her in a way only something life-threatening would. That tremor in her hand which she thinks she is hiding means something more to her already than she has let them know. And in fear of putting any of the rest of those she loves at risk, she has chosen to face even the direst fate alone.

Yes, though he wishes she would confide in him, he understands. He would choose the same.

Instead of brooding, at least not beyond the tumbler of rum at Granny's counter, Killian focuses on what he can do without pushing Emma. Going back over the conversation they'd had not an hour ago at breakfast, before Henry had arrived from Regina's to meet them, he remembers a small detail from her quick recounting of the cricket therapist's visit to her in the woods and an idea comes to him that is just a little too perfect resist.

 _'I'll want Henry's help,'_ Killian considers, firming his plan with a decisive nod to himself, then he heads off to the library where he can do a spot of research on the matter, after walking Emma to the station and leaving her and her father to their work. Surely the lad will not hesitate to undertake an operation with him for his mother's sake, Killian reasons as he pulls out his phone and hits the speed dial button for Henry, just as the teen had shown him. ' _Yes,'_ he thinks, smirking a bit in pleased contentment, _'the game is definitely afoot…'_

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The next evening, Killian arrives at their lovely little two-story home with his prize in hand just waiting to see the look on Emma's face. Once he had brought Henry in on his mission, all was accomplished in short order. The lad was indeed only too happy to help; one, because it had not taken him much longer than Killian to realize that something was again weighing on his mother, troubling her noticeably, and two, because what Killian had suggested, he would enjoy as well. They had gone to David next, who still had connections at his workplace from before the first curse had been broken, and the details had all been arranged by lunch.

It had come to Killian quite simply, though to most it might have seemed odd or out of nowhere. Emma might have some new worry – a new threat she couldn't bring herself to speak of – but that did not mean he and Henry couldn't keep trying to put together the piece of that "white picket fence life" she had held out hope for in Camelot, or do all they could to show her that their new little family and that happy future for the three of them was still possible, available to them right now in every, normal happy moment they grasped. She needed something anyone else could enjoy, a little something that the regular Storybrooke citizen would have without the weight of being the Savior and a hero keeping it from her. And when the right thing hit him, it struck instantly, like a bolt out of the blue.

It made perfect sense, as Henry had agreed the previous afternoon. A pet…their little family should have a pet. Remembering how Emma's full, pink lips had tilted up slightly at the mention of Pongo being with Dr. Hopper in the woods the day before, how they had discussed Henry nearly becoming Pongo's owner while Archie had been believed dead back when Killian first arrived in town, how their lovely too-short-lived evening strolls those few weeks that they did get to spend like an average couple a year or so back had often led them by the window of the pet shop on Main and Emma had often paused to coo over the furry, wriggling bundles at play there, speaking wistfully of how badly she had wanted a dog as a child – someone who could be a companion, a loyal friend – but had never been allowed at any of the string of foster homes to which she had been shuttled. He even remembered warmly, his heart stuttering and turning over at the overwhelmingly affectionate recollection, how she had paused in the street with his past self as they had left the tavern in the Enchanted Forest of Zelena's time portal to dig bread crusts from the folds of her wench disguise to feed a scrawny stray dog that had made her soft green eyes had tear with pity.

Killian nods his head resolutely, starting up the steps to the front door as the wiggling bundle in his arms whines and laps at his hand. "Hush now, you little scamp," Killian murmurs to the pup, tightening his grip slightly to insure the little guy doesn't fall. "You're meant to be a surprise, don't give us away." He is rather pleased with how this little one's adoption had worked out and the comfort it may well bring his love. A puppy certainly won't solve everything, but it cannot fail to bring his love some cheer.

Eager to see Emma's face, without another thought, Killian knocks on the door, even if for all intents and purposes it is his house too, and waits anxiously for her to answer. A few seconds later, he can hear the quick tread of her booted feet in the hall and then the doorknob turns to let him in. Anticipation of her illuminating smile fills him along with the hope of pleased surprise lightening some of the heavy worry weighing on her brow since Mr. Hyde and the crashed blimp full of mysterious refugees had arrived.

The barrier between them swings wide, and then Killian is blinking, mesmerized, in her gold light (as he often is), Emma standing before him and already snickering as she shakes her head at the scene before her. The puppy in his arms takes this moment to tilt his furry head back and flick his tongue out to lick the pirate's chin.

"Oi!" Killian cries out, startled, jerking away from the cold, wet bath the pup is now applying to his skin with enthusiasm. In the end, when he glanced up to meet his love's eyes, pleading a little help, he is hoping Emma will reach out and take the rascal off his hands rather than presenting the dog to her proudly.

Swan crosses her arms and leans against the doorframe comfortably, tipping her blonde head to watch the exuberant puppy completely fluster her generally unflappable pirate and looking wholly amused at his predicament. "And just what do we have here?" she finally manages to ask laughingly, clearly pressing her lips together to keep from laughing at him.

Killian finally gets the tail-wagging, affectionate creature held out far enough away from his body that the pup can no longer continually lick his face with its cold tongue. Briefly, he swipes his sleeve across his scruffy cheek and then attempts to turn on the bright, charming smile he had meant to greet her with and offers the wriggling grey-black-and-white bundle to her with open arms. "The perfect gift to brighten your day, Swan," he adds smoothly, quirking an eyebrow at her as if daring his love to argue.

"A puppy?" she asks, forcing skepticism into her tone, but he can already see on Emma's face how enamored of the adorable little mutt she really is. The puppy meanwhile, tilts its head for just a couple of seconds, taking in this new human curiously through his one warm, brown eye and the mismatched pale blue one, then lets out an enthusiastic little _yip_ and begins pawing the air frantically to get to her. Emma barely waits a moment before scooping the puppy into her arms and cuddling him right up against her chest, tucking his soft, downy head beneath her chin. "Aren't you a handsome little guy?" Emma croons softly as it curls right up against her happily, huffing out contented little breaths against her skin.

Killian thinks that she had probably meant those words to go unheard, but he hears them all the same, and he can clearly see she is quite fond of his gift. Grinning widely, he looks up at her, speaking, "yes, well Swan, you never actually said you wanted a pet, but I've seen you with Dr. Hopper's dog and other four-legged beasts, and your heart seems heavy again of late… I've read, you know, that dogs can be excellent companions, relieve stress, loyal helpmates, and so forth. It stands to reason…"

Here is when Henry appears in the doorway as well, face beaming with complete seeming innocence and excitement. "Hey Killian," he greets, eyes twinkling with secret mischief for his compatriot alone, then turning to his mother with complete guilelessness once more. "What's up, Mom? I thought I heard…" but then he trails off, playing perfectly at just then noticing the pup he had helped the pirate to choose. "Oh, I _did_ hear a dog!" he exclaims. "Wow, Killian, is he ours?"

"Aye, young Master," Killian smirks, reminding himself that at some later date he may need to warn Emma what a crafty conspirator – and actor – her son can be when he wishes. "If your mother wishes to keep him, of course."

Emma glances between the two of them suspiciously, then back down to the ball of fluff in her arms, stroking her fingers through its soft fur ceaselessly. Killian knows she won't put the little shepherd out; she is practically picking out a name in her head as they stand, and besides, some of the tension has already eased from her shoulders in the mere five minutes she has been holding the tiny brute.

"You're in on this too, aren't you?" Emma asks Henry abruptly, catching both man and boy by surprise before smirking at them and then kissing them each on the cheek in thanks. "Lucky for you two, I think he's perfect. Just what our little family needs. Still, let's have that teach you to try and pull a fast one on me!"

Laughing good naturedly, Henry agrees and turns back into their house, leaving Emma to reach out a hand, wrap her fingers around Killian's hook and pull him inside with them. "Come on then, Captain, let's get this little guy settled."

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That night, curled up together on the couch, Killian in some old sweats and a soft, much-washed white t-shirt, Emma in flannel pants and a red cotton tank, an empty bowl of popcorn on the coffee table before them along with empty cocoa mugs, the past two days' tension seems miraculously eased. They are all as cozily at peace as he can ever remember them being. They had been moving through the list of movies Henry felt Killian _must_ see as soon as possible, but the credits are rolling on their last choice, and Henry has fallen asleep in the recliner in the corner of the room, the pup snoring as one little white stockinged foot kicks occasionally straight up in the air. They had made a box with blankets and a hot water bottle for their new pet, but that had not lasted long before he was curled up in Henry's lap for the evening.

Killian shifts carefully, not wanting to disturb Emma where her head rests on his thigh, her face actually smoothed of worry lines and looking as peaceful as he has seen her in months. He only means to turn off the tv, thinking both mother and son have fallen asleep, and feeling himself nearly there.

As he does so however, she stirs slightly and sits up to look at him, a hand on his chest as if to make sure he is still there.

"It's alright, Love," he assures her, placing a light kiss to her brow, "merely turning off the picture box."

She nods, not even bothering to correct him about the name of the television, instead smiling and cuddling closer to his chest a moment longer, savoring the warmth and comfort. When she speaks her words are loving and soft as she stands and takes his hand to pull him after her. "Henry's fine here. Let's go to bed, Killian."

He follows her along the moonlit hallway without a word, somehow sensing she isn't finished and merely needs him to listen. Once in their room, she holds him tightly to her chest, looking up into his face with hers bathed in blue shadows. "Just hold onto me, alright? I have to tell you something…"


End file.
